The Arrival - vid ankomsten till Sweden
by Jay Flemming
Summary: Picking up where the original Movie leaves off... we follow Eli and Oskar into an uncertain and dark future, with new friends, enemies, and entities beyond human comprehension. (years ago I posted this story, but it has strangely vanished, thankfully, I kept it saved... I hope you enjoy... this is the first of a 16 or 18 chapter story.
1. Chapter 1: The Boy at The Train Station

**Chapter 1: The Boy at the Train Station**

 _"Why not farther away?"_

 _"They won't find us...I promise"_

 _..._

 _"But don't you want to see the world."_

 _"I do...but right now...just trust me."_

 _"but-"_

 _"I know some people that can hide us, at least for a while then we can go anywhere."_

 _..._

The train rumbled to a stop, the long rhythmic pattern slowed, waking Oskar from what was a short nap. It was about 6 oclock, and his first thought concerned his stomach. He had not stopped for anything to eat, and right now his mom was surely making meatloaf with potatoes and would be expecting him home with his dad any moment. He could smell the beef and spices, even the little onions that he usually hated would be delicious. Instead he pulled the small candy bar from his pocket...the one he had stolen randomly at the station, and bit into it. He savored the chocolate as an announcement was heard over a muffled loud speaker.

 _'Now arriving train 1132 from Blackeburg Vallingby and Angby!'_

The trip had been uneventful except for a nosy kid in the next car who kept running back and forth and picking his nose. Oskar had never been by himself this far, and was enjoying himself as if it was like a great adventure. Bigger and better then the ones in 'Goosebumps', it almost felt like he was King Artur or Hjalmar. The only difference being that he didn't have a sword...and he doubted that either Artur or Hjalmar were ever in so much trouble as he was going to be when his mom found he was missing.

His small backpack fit on his shoulders easily enough and the small bag that held Eli's belongings wasn't too large either. The box that held Eli however, that was a different story.

How can someone who eats blood be so heavy...

As he exited the train an attendant spotted him, Oskar worried for an instant that the man knew who he was, so purposeful was his gate. Fortunately the man simply approached and tried to help Oskar with his baggage.

"No thank you..."

The attendant shrugged, and turned his attention to an old woman who was in need of more help.

The air was still in the terminal, as the 5 pm train wasn't exactly packed. Here and there a single passenger or couple hung close to the benches waiting on trains that were yet to come, or talking in one of the phone booths. Oskar didn't take up much space in all that, and so he breathed a small sigh, the smaller he was the less chance he could be found...if anyone had noticed he was gone yet. Maybe they wouldn't notice? Maybe Mr. Avila would conclude that he'd been eaten by what ever killed the three boys. He could imagine Mr. Avila in a news report...going on about how a werewolf had broken in. 'Oskar must have fought the monster' he would say. 'How heroic...like Hjalmar...like Beowolf' his mother would swoon and his father would beam with pride about his sons heroic death. Maybe they'd even start talking again, maybe now that he was gone they could be friendly again. He imagined Johan at the funeral crying about how he would have anyone to play with...

"It's done now you know"

"Yeah"

"They cant bother you anymore, I told you I could do that"

"But wont they come after you...us?"

"No...but we have to leave now if you're sure"

"Yes, I'm coming with you."

The great big empty space was filled with a sort of heaviness as if important things were always happening, just not that anyone could see or hear. Oskar moved methodically, doing his best to act normal. He was a businessman. That what he was, an important man with a meeting, and he couldn't be late. He exited the station carefully looking for what Eli had told him would be there. A bright white cab approached him as he stood on the snowy curb, and inside a scruffy looking man looked out silently sizing up the boy as if he were just another businessman on a trip.

"Im...Edward."

"Figured as much, that all you got?" The cabbie said roughly.

"Y-yes"

"Well kid I don't have all day are you getting in or out?"

"In..."

The cab hopped out and took the box on rollers away from Oskar's hands.

"No!" He said stopping himself when the cabbie looked back annoyed.

"Easy kid, I wasn't going to hurt your stuff. Whats in there trinkets from your trip or something?"

The cabbie didn't wait for a reply he simply lifted the box and placed it somewhat gently in the trunk.

Oskar stared for a moment. That wasn't right, here he got to ride in a nice warm cab while Eli went in the back with no more care then an old sweater or gym socks. What if she woke up while they were driving? What if she got scared and tried to get out? He gulped trying to keep the fear he felt in his stomach.

He got into the cab, quickly smelling the cleaning fluid smell and a hint of throwup. It was a different type then the ones in Blackeburg, these were for important people. People like his dad maybe when he went to work.

Suddenly the cab pulled off, with no warning. Whisking Oskar away to some place new and exciting he was sure.

...

Well you miserable oaf...is she coming or not.

A quiet nod

Excellent. It's been such a long time...

A look down at the ground

There are so very few of us...so very few. This calls for a celebration. I need two clients brought up instead of one Orevor.

A nod.

No junkies this time...proper clients. See if you can't find someone healthy for a change.

Silence and a nod then stifled words.

A boy? Her helper obviously...

Orevor just stared straight ahead. and mentioned a word


	2. Chapter 2 : The Hotel Rodbostad

The first impression of the hotel was one of mediocre dislike. The building itself wasn't ugly or particularly dark, but it's location, its odd angles, not to mention its smell was not one that was inviting. It was the sort of place that people inhabited by force of habit, but not by choice. The building had been marked for destruction but was somehow spared. Some donor had paid handsomely to keep the block intact...for historical references. In any case the people who were regulars weren't the type to care much for historical accuracy. They were deadbeats mostly, stealing, selling drugs, selling themselves...meanwhile killing themselves quickly and slowly.

The hotel was known to run a regular bout of prostitutes, but was 'overlooked' by many of the local authorities due to kickbacks and bribes. No one much cared about the souls that never seemed to re-emerge from it's doors, or why most of it's upper stories were blacked out, just that it remained clean outside, and that no litter cluttered the stoop.

Juliane was never happy about this part. She was never happy about having to part with some of her hard earned money. Even if it was for Edgar. One day she would beat him up, take back the money and leave a kronor on his chest as a warning to anyone who might follow...one day.

"Is this it?" Edgar said, the man's face curiously still as if he were trying to determine what he was going to do.

The young woman shook her head once, shaking her obviously phony red hair piece. The snow was falling and the quiet back street was devoid of life, save for their figures and a man sleeping on a bench next to the Hotel Rhinastad.

The young woman waited a moment for the inevitable. It was a scene that had played out every time she paid up. The slap came, not directly as last time. It knocked her to the ground, and her nose began to bleed.

"Next time you come to me Juli-baby...don't wait for me to find you." Edgar said menacingly. He was a rail thin man, with thin fingers wearing multiple rings. His tired eyes seemed to be constantly darting about, as if at any moment they might be interrupted.

Edgar kicked her once, drawing a stifled yelp and then sobbing. His designer jeans were brand new, as was his sweater and member's only jacket. Julianne loathed seeing the grey jacket coming towards her in the late evening, it was a sign that pain and suffering was near.

"I'm sorry...please, Im sorry" Juliane cried, hot tears burning her cheeks, as she begged for absolution.

In moments Edgar had gone, leaving Juliane to pick herself up, straightened her hair and tried to regain her balance. Edgar was always careful to hit her on the side of her face, where the makeup wouldn't stain his hands, and it was easier for her to cover up the bruises, a small bonus she thought. She soped up the blood with a small napkin from her purse, then noticed the small drip of blood contrasted against the grey white snow in the alley. Sniffing her nose, she turned to leave, keeping her eyes fixed on the direction Edgar had gone.

She left the alleyway, in the opposite direction, headed towards the hotel. A small figure stood across the street in the snow, luggage being emptied out of the back of the cab the figure had just left. The snow was coming down heavily now. Juliane's curiosity peeked when she made out the figure to be a blonde boy, no more then 15. Lost? Looking for his parents. His wallet loomed in Juliane's eyes, it was sticking out of his back pocket...like a small sandwich wrapped into so much butcher paper.

"Are you looking for something boy?" Juli asked, her eye lashes batting at the strange child in front of her. He was country pale, plan and soft looking, and most of all clean. Yes, that's what it was he seemed clean, inside and out.

"Um...the hotel RodBostad? I have an appointment- I mean reservation." Oskar said, correcting himself. Juli had seen this sort of behavior before. The kid was new to the city, and she knew how that felt.

Juli came closer, "Let me help you...the hotel is right over there."

The cabby noticed the woman, shook his head, and bellowed for his fair.

"Kid, that's 92 Cronor." The overweight cabby stated, his mustachioed face having little in the way of patience left.

Juli watched the boy dig in his pockets and pull out several hundred Kronor. It was obvious that he had more. The Cabbie pulled off quickly and dirty gray snow sprayed back, landing in Oskar's face and on his clothes. He wiped himself, and Julia helped with the stuff that landed on his pale white face with a quickly withdrawn napkin.

"First time in Stockholm?" She asked plainly.

Oskar simply gave a sheepish shrug.

"I can carry one of your bags." Juli said eagerly. "Since I know the way."

"Um, thank you" Oskar said as the boy carefully followed with the box in tow, allowing her to take his small backpack. The odd pair made it across the street, to the stoop of the hotel. It was nearly 5 by the girls reckoning. But the boy looked like several miles past tired now. Must be a runaway she thought, and it made her wonder if this was how she looked at first.

"You look tired..." Juli remarked as they walked on the grey and cold concrete pavement stones that had only recently replaced the cobblestone walk-way.

"I'm ok." Oskar replied, seemingly cheerful, though Julianne had her doubts. The boy seemed to being quite brave, but why?

The heavy front door of the hotel was brown, and had huge metal handles. Ornate carvings on the wood panel above the door spelled out the words in big bold letters. opened by an odd looking man. His face was sullen and cold, he regarded Oskar with a nod, and allowed them entrance. Oskar entered first struggling with the box to gingerly bring it in. The girl followed ignoring a stern look from the man as she entered. She helped the boy, and was expecting compensation...it was the way things were.


	3. Chapter 3 : The Reservation

**Chapter 3 ... A Reservation**

Upon entrance to the RodBostad, most travelers would know immediately that this was not the hotel in the brochure. Stockholm was full of luxurious hotels, many with five star ratings. This place appeared to be just below a two, and frankly that was being generous. It's wide open front gallery housed paintings from the late 18th century, and old wooden statues of patrons of yore. The place seemed to swallow those who entered, as it got larger with each step from the entrance.

The lobby of the hotel was well kept. It looked like a royal palace that some czar was long since absent from, and his servants had done their level best to keep up appearances. There were wooden beams all around, dust covered couches, an old tile floor that had begun to crack, the closer one looked the more one could see. In the air there was a sickly sweet smell of mold and something else that seemed to put all who entered at unease.

...

Oreveor stood there looking at the blonde boy for a moment, completely ignoring the young woman beside him who chewed on bubblegum. He'd seen the woman before, she carried on with the prostitutes that gallivanted the neighborhood. They were good for the work, always attracting the sort that few would miss. Still he hated them, with their disgusting smell and work. He took a few steps behind the counter, and retrieved a small skeleton key with the number 9 written on it. He regarded Oskar and his luggage with a glare for a moment more and then spoke.

"Room 9...has been reserved for you." The man said. It wasn't so much said as mumbled. The mans' words sounded like a man whose tongue was either or missing. A small bell next to an old ledger was rung, and a large fat woman with large warts on her forehead and an odd countenance, came from a small room to the right of the counter. She was dressed in a stained white apron and old style maid's uniform, and her grotesque form, was matched by her smell.

Orevor looked over towards the woman and nodded at the blonde boy he'd been told to expect.

The woman nodded back and smiled at the boy showcasing several teeth that were missing. "Alright the maid will show you up and get you settled."

The boy turned to the young prostitute that had seen him in.

"Thank you."

"Oh, no problem..., Um you know, I kind of need bus fare. If you don't mind-" Juli said eagerly. Orevor looked over the woman, understanding all at once that this was no lady at all. He tried to hide his disgust, and stared at the two of them in the awkward moment.

The boy smiled and nodded, retrieving a hundred Kronor from his pocket and handing it to the woman.

"Thanks...hope you find what it was you were looking for." the girl said as Oskar followed the 'maid' towards and older style lift.

"Will _you_ be needing a room Miss?" Orevor asked in the same mumbled voice.

"Me...No...just helping a friend. Thought I could use your phone."

"Sorry the phone is for guests only." Orevor said, his mind reeling in disgust from the mere suggestion.

'Useless rotten slut, not bad enough she has to leach of the boy, she does it in here to me.'

The whore glared at him, and walked towards the exit.

A glance out the window told Orevor that he was running out of time. The sun had already sunk below the horizon, and he knew that She would awaken soon. He needed to act, and quickly, food would be required, and it was his night to procure it.

...

Oskar nervously sat at the edge of the simple wood post bed. The room wasn't too small, just...old. It was larger than his room back home. He could smell moth balls, the pungent odor was almost stinging to his nose. There was a small windowless bathroom attached. 'Perfect' he thought, remembering what things Eli required.

The wooden floors creaked; the TV looked older than the one from his grandmothers' house in Vallinby. It had one channel, a government news channel, and no chance of catching a better signal. There was a large window that had once looked out upon a river a few blocks away and the big city on the other side it. Now however it was blocked in with wooden boards and paint. Someone wanted to make sure that guests didn't have a great view, an odd business plan at best. The maid had settled him in quickly enough, though it had been a close one when she tried to help him unpack.

"Are you sure, it makes no difference to me, I get paid the same…?" The maid said, about to move the heaviest box containing someone dear.

"I can do it thanks" Oskar said as he almost pushed her hand away. The maid raised an eyebrow and said nothing, turning only to show the features of the room.

"Room in the closet, if you need the space, and the bathroom is connected through here, very forward thinking for the time." the heavy set maid said, her voice trying to sound cheerful in Oskar's eyes.

"I can handle it" Oskar replied, doing his best to avoid drawing attention to the large box near the maids position near the door to the bathroom.

"If you need any-" The maid tried once more, only to be cut off by Oskar's interruption.

"I'm ok... just um."He said

"Dinner will be served at 8:00 in the dining room, I will ring you..." The maid said, and left her form wobbling away, and shutting the heavy wooden door.

He now looked at the bathroom door, where he had left Eli. He didn't dare try and wake her. He wasn't sure if being woken up did something to her. He never liked being awoken...but then he wasn't a vampire. Now he sat alone in a strange hotel room, unsure of what Eli had planned.

He was afraid, He trusted Eli...there was no doubt of that. But where had she taken them, how did she know this place was safe? How could any place be 'safe'? These questions racked his mind, and he lay back in the stiff bed, looking at a crack in the ceiling. He tried to squash his fear. He was going to brave. He'd been brave for Eli, before. The small clock on the table near the old television read 7:14, and Oskar closed his eyes just for a moment.


	4. Chapter 4: Room Service

**Chapter 4: Room Service**

Her eyes snapped open, and a familiar smell came to her. "Oskar..."

Sitting up, Eli realized all at once that she wasn't in a bathroom..or closet. She was somewhere else, somewhere bigger, she was somewhere dark and he was hungry. She smelled blood...

It had been 3 days...she hadn't fed and he was hungry. The feeling made him angry, she had wanted to see Oskar's smiling face when she awoke. The double dissappointment didn't help. This hadn't been what she planned Giselle had said she could come back...she'd promised saftey...all things forgiven. If she had hurt Oskar...

"Hello?" came a trembling voice from a few meters away.

Eli's eyes adjusted to the light, it was an attic...it was 'the attic'. How had she gotten here? Where was Oskar.

"Is someone there? Please!?"

Eli spotted the source of the noise. A woman, sobbing, chained to the wall, her eyes searching in the pitch black for salvation.

"Help me!"

Eli grew closer. The woman was chained so that her arms were manticled behind her head her feet locked in place and she was on her knees. The girl struggled, trying to free her self.

'Giselle...' Eli thought. This was the sort of game Giselle played...she loved watching the display.

"Please, they did something to my neck..."

Eli could see what it was, a small laceration, that allowed a slow drip of blood onto the ground...

"Can you help me!? Help me...they could be back any second. Are you there!?"

Eli licked her lips. The girls heart beat was loud, almost defining. Each pulse filled Eli with just that much more longing. The blood was so close, she could smell the sweet coppery scent, almost taste the thick plasma...feel it gliding down her-

'It's not Oskar...It's not Oskar...It's not-"

She came close, putting her hands on the woman's face. "It's ok..."

"Oh thank you...thank-"

The woman seemed to wilt a moment before Eli bit deeply into her exposed neck...

...

He was beautiful.

She could see why Eli had picked him. Giselle couldn't imagine her little friend wandering around with anyone else.

He slept with his mouth open, and everyone once and a while he moved his arm to his face. There was something precious there, Giselle thought. Something different about this one. Or perhaps Eli just wanted a friend. Either way the boy had followed her...no... he'd carried her. Yes special indeed. The question was why this one. Someone older would be able to protect her far better. Kronor was not all that was king...names and all those official numbers it made it harder for certain people to get by alone.

The belongings spoke of a boy of twelve or thirteen she had guessed. Giselle got closer to the bed, bending over at nearly ninety degrees, bringing her slight frame towards his. Her nose drew close to his neck, drawing in the intoxicating smell of him.

The boy smelled...not unlike another she had had a while back, of course he was older, and had tasted like-

...

"What are you doing?" Eli said, her small form surprising Giselle. She was standing at the rooms' entrance her mouth dripping with fresh blood that had dropped to stain her gray turtleneck sweater, as her eyes glared at Giselle. Her tone wasn't one of fear, because she new the way Giselle thought.

The more precious an item, the more Giselle wanted at it. Oskar was no item, but she knew that to dangle something in front Giselle that she couldn't have was to invite trouble. Giselle liked fashion, always the nicest and the newest things she could find. Her nose was adorned with a gold ring that stood out from her pale skin. Here nearly platinum blonde hair was long and braided like a fashion model that Eli had seen once in one of the advertisements Hakan used to read. She fancied herself gorgeous, a trait that was both sickening and annoying for any who remained in her company for more then a few days.

"Shh...do you want to wake him. Poor thing didn't even hear me move you...a poor protector you've chosen. Has he killed for you yet?"

"Giselle you promised me", Eli's voice didn't waver, she knew what Giselle was capable of. To many times her promises were broken, her words were often as reliable as her shifting mood.

"I did. Did you appreciate your gift?" the woman smiled slightly almost as if she was truly hopeful that Eli would appreciate her kindness.

"Leave him alone", Her voice was firm and unyielding.

"What makes you think I was going to do something?"

Her large black eyes turned back to Oskar swiftly swallowing him with a gaze. The dark room would have hidden her almost entirely save for the fact that Oskar wasn't concious to notice. The only light was partially blocked by Eli's form, and even she would have been tough to see.

"He's is a pretty one though...where did you find him?"

"You promised me Giselle."

Oskar stirred turning over on his side.

Giselle bowed her slightly towards Eli and sucked her teeth with a sigh. She left slowly her eyes wandering back to the boy.

"Clean up, you look a mess. I'm going out." the Giselle said her hand gracing Eli's chin for a moment. She left quickly her tight fitting red dress shimmering in the artificial light of the hall as she left.


	5. Chap 5:Warmth and the Nordiska Kompaniet

**Chapter 5: Warmth and the Nordiska Kompaniet**

"He did a number on you this time." Said a tall young woman with black hair and pale skin. Her posture was more relaxed than the last time Juli had laid eyes on her.

"No you did, shorting me that money Liza." Juli said, the complaint clear in her inflection

"Hey, I don't recall you getting preachy when I let you have that rich guy last week.", Liza replied, taking along drag from a recently borrowed cigarette crammed between her bunched cold fingers. Her boney legs were covered with tight black fishnets that ended at a pair of very high black boots. Her makeup was also black, and completing the gothic look, was an old heavy leather coat that had seen better days. Liza styled herself a punk, but Juli knew better, it was all a costume, a lure for a certain clientele near concerts and music shows.

The girls liked to gather near the square when they got the chance, and almost always when they didn't have 'clients'. It wasn't that Juliane liked them all that much, but friends were not as easy as money to come by. The colder nights they'd seek shelter at a dive bar run by Liza's ex-boyfriend, but tonight it was packed out, so they huddled for warmth and for company. She rather preferred to be alone, but there were times when the group had protected her, sometimes a John wouldn't be happy about the limited service he'd received, and Edgar wasn't around. Even if he was, he was rarely any help.

So they gathered in front of the Nordiska Kompaniet, squabbling about their problems, each insulting another until the early morning, all the while looking for a ride or a trip to a local hotel to make a few more Kronor for the next evening's rent, food, or in most cases, drugs.

"You got back here fast...?" Liza said, raising a thin darkly painted eyebrow.

"A boy gave me some change." Juli replied quickly, remembering her pleasant moment with Oskar, and the isolated situation he might be in.

"Oh-" Liza smiled. "Hope, he was cute."

"No, not for anything...he was just being nice." Juli snapped back, disgusted to think that a innocent boy like Oskar would be considered a client.

"Right, and next you'll be telling me that bruise is from a run in with a chimp from the zoo", Liza said as she took another puff.

"I don't have to tell you squat." Juli said sharply, tiring of Liza's innuendos.

The tv's behind Liza's head caught her attention. Some headline about three boys being killed in Blackeburg. The newscaster couldn't be heard through the window, and so Juilane's attention turned back to her girlfriend's. Her eyes narrowly missed a picture of the little blonde boy she had helped out of a cab earlier in the day. The picture wasn't quite current as the boys' hair wasn't quite so long. Most people who watched the news that evening would have seen the boy's face, but would have pushed it aside, what the nightly news reporting escalating tensions between Moscow and the US, as Nato wanted to build missiles in Norway and so the 'Erricson' story was but a fifteen second clip, attributed to drugs or some other vice. Juliane's eyes wouldn't have caught that detail, her nearsightedness notwithstanding.

Her eyes instead had turned to the ugly tallish man who approached one of the girls on the other side of the Alley. She knew the man, though her poor eyesight didn't give her enough to recognize him at first. The girl was new, not a regular, maybe someone who had just arrived in their area. Girl's like that were in a dangerous spot, if they didn't have a friend to watch their back, they were in for a hard time. The man approaching her seemed familiar however.

"I think...I know him" Juli said, blinking once and trying to remember where from.

"Sure, he's your dad probably come for a free round." Liza said, flicking her finished cigarette to the ground.

"Liza I'm sure I've seen him...that hotel down by the river front...that was it. He runs it I think." Juli offered, trying her best to remember the salient details from earlier. The sight of the man filled her with a mixture of fear and disgust.

"Can we go...not much traffic tonight, maybe we'll see someone at the club." Liza's sharp voice wasn't at all concerned.

"He must have followed me." Juli continued, her mind now almost transfixed on what the man was doing. He seemed to be searching for someone, like a clinical search, emotionless… she felt something malevolent-

"Are you coming are staying? It's freakin' cold out here, and I don't have time for another of your psycho moments."

"They aren't psycho moments, I feel things is all." Juli said dismissively. She didn't expect Liza to understand, it wasn't insane, and it wasn't just when she was high, she was sure of it, she could feel when someone was dangerous, she had a way of sensing it.

"Whatever, just don't start that when we get to the club, it freaks people out. Come on." Liza said picking up her purse from a nearby ledge and walking away.

"I'm Coming… it's just..." Juli stayed a moment longer, observing the man and his actions.

Her eyes watched as he nervously propositioned one of the girls on the other side of the small square. The new girl agreed. Money most have been good, or she wanted to get out of the cold. The man was more than hideous. She was reminded of an old movie with Boris Karloff. One she had seen with her mom at a night special. The odd pair left together getting into the man's car, and in moments they were gone.

...

Eli sat there looking at Oskar. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry. But he was asleep, never knowing what had almost happened to him, just how dangerous where they were could truly be. Still it was safer than them being out there. His loss was still fresh...she knew how these things worked. The people would worry themselves a little while; there might be a story or two in the papers. Maybe even a full search of his village, whatever that place was called. In the end they would give up. To them Oskar was just one little boy. To Eli he was so much more...he had saved her, had given her something she could never take. He was more than just a boy...he was love...pure and simple and so strong that Eli sometimes wasn't altogether sure it was real. Was this… love? Was it the feeling of having hole in your stomach whenever someone was gone too long? It was too close to hunger, and She had confused the term before, but now just seeing him sleeping, she was almost sure she was right. She begged herself to be right.

He had left what he had to come with her, she had barely even had to ask, and when she did she already knew the answer. Still...how could Oskar see what she did not? What had she done to deserve him, surely it couldn't have been something she had done, yet there he was just the same as if by some odd mix up in the delivery of some package.

She entered the bathroom, and stared into the mirror, noticing the now dried blood that covered the covered the side of her lips, and had crusted around her jawline. She used the napkins on the bathroom sink and some water from the barely functioning sink to wipe away the stains. She was always a little amazed at how easily it disappeared. Blood never stained flesh for some odd reason, almost as if it refused to identify the one who released it.

She returned to the room and her space on the bed. She lay beside Oskar, feeling his warmth, breathing his comforting smell. She wondered what he dreamed of, whether or not she was in them. She couldn't remember the last dream she had. What she saw when she slept she dare not repeat, lest she frighten him. Images of times that had no mercy, where there was nothing but the desire to feed, the cold times. The loneliness that still threatened to swallow her whole. Yet Oskar was there, like the knight she had dubbed him, waiting to defend her from the scary thing in the shadows.

All at once she saw him stir, and roll over towards her. His eyes opened, but in the darkness there wasn't much he could discern.

"Eli..."

"Yes Oskar, I'm here" Eli replied,

"Are you ok?" Oskar's voice was a whisper.

"Yes, I missed you" She said looking down at his face and tangled hair.

"I missed you to. Did you...eat?" The question hung in the air.

A long pause seemed to last for minutes until it was broken.

"Eli?" Oskar asked aloud in a voice just above a whisper.

"Oskar I have to tell you. You must be careful." Eli spoke plainly, trying her best to make him aware.

"I thought you said it would be safe." Oskar's voice seemed uncertain.

"It will be when I'm awake." She replied, eager to set his fears at ease.

Oskar tried to sit up a little in bed, Eli stayed where she was blankly staring off into the space that used to be the window. Oskar now pulled himself towards her so that his head was in her lap, looking up into her eyes. She looked down quickly...smiling slightly.

"Then I won't got to sleep until you do." Oskar said playfully.

"No silly, then what will you do during the day?" Eli laughed a little to.

"Sleep like you do. Like a real vampire" Oskar continued, but this time The words made Eli nearly cringe. That was not what she wanted, or needed.

"Oskar don't say that." She protested, moving so that his head dropped into the bed.

"Why not-", Oskar continued, clearly unaware of what line he'd crossed.

"You must be careful this place...it's where Giselle lives." Eli replied, deciding to change the subject.

"Who is… who is she?" Oskar tried to sit up a bit,

"She's like me. She looked after me once a long time ago. When… when I was alone."

"Oh, she was your friend?"

"Sometimes.", Eli replied, trying not to think of Giselle that way.

"...like your sister then?" Oskar continued, trying to guess.

"No… just, you have to leave here before the sun comes up, her people... I don't trust them."

"But what about-"

"Oskar please..." she looked down at him as if it meant forever, her eyes reflecting the dimlight from the underneath the closed hotel door.

Oskar nodded slightly, finally pulling back from his questions.

"We only have to stay like this for a few days, maybe a week then we can go."

"Really?" Eli could hear the boy was already falling asleep again.

"Yes, but please be careful."

"Eli...do you love me-"

There was silence as Eli hesitated for a moment...her hand reaching slowly to Oskar's forehead stroking away a strand of blonde hair from his face.

Eli didn't know when he'd fallen asleep, only that the boy's body went limp slowly; as if his mind was returning somewhere she had stolen away from him.

"I think so." she said softly her eyes closing tightly begging something within her to mean it.


	6. Chapter 6: Supply and Demand

Oskar woke up in the small, rarely slept-in bed. He wasn't sure of the time, but it was light out, as he could see a few streaks of light through the covered window. A long thread of light had crawled to his eye, like a knife cutting him back into the world of the waking. Had he dreamed it all? As he took a breath, he recognized the same odd crack in ceiling, and realized all at once that it was real and that he was starving. He rolled over almost crushing a note from Eli.

 _In the closet, Lock it and take key with you when you go. Please don't come back until sundown._

 _-Love Eli._

Oskar decided to do as Eli asked and paused for a minute at the closet door listening to the sounds she made inside. A low quiet rumble notified him of her presence, enough to reassure him she was resting comfortably. He retrieved the old lead key and placed it in his pocket Now...where was the food. After he started to dig through his bag He thought he smelled toast. He opened the hotel door to find a tray of breakfast. A bowl of what looked to be oatmeal, a piece of toast and two eggs. It was a meal fit for a king, he thought...wondering how long it had been there. It was fresh, and the oatmeal was still warm. He looked down the long hallways of rooms, and saw no other such breakfasts waiting on patrons.

As he returned to his room he snapped on the light, and the dull glow of artificial light filled in the darkness. He began to eat, his stomach rumbling as he bit into the piece of toast. When was the last time he had eaten so well? He couldn't remember, and he simply gobbled up the rest so quickly that he almost scared himself. The TV refused to work. Frustratingly he took a shower, stopping to look at the red splotches at the bottom of the trash can. They were bloody tissues. Oskar stared at them for a moment, then into the mirror in front of him. The realization of Eli's particular eating habits never seemed to get any easier. Each time it happened, Oskar tried to get over the uneasy feeling he discovered within himself, however it wasn't always easy.

'She has to eat...'

He shut out the images of how she procured what she needed, and got dressed. As he finished he looked back to the closet door. The note from Eli seemed to indicate that he was endanger, but so far whomever she had made arrangements with had been-, he hesitated to say nice. Still they weren't evil, were they? Anyone who cooked such a good breakfast could not be evil he concluded. Giselle wasn't a scary name, but he imagined that if she was like Eli, that she had to eat to. He wondered if Eli didn't know him, if she would consider him for a meal as well. This thought disturbed him a little, and helped make his mind up to go outside. He got dressed and after a minute he'd found his ski mask, tucked in the bottom of his bag.

His mother forbade him to wear the mask it after she'd caught Oskar playing at the game of criminals and cops with Johan. No Johan, but Oskar still relished the idea of pretending to be the blood thirsty 'Eric Hjavel'...the mass murderer and master thief he'd had created to foil Johan at each turn. His mother had thrown the mask away, but Tommy had found it, and Oskar had paid 25 Kronor to get it back. He said goodbye to Eli, kissing his hand softly and placing it on the center of the door. He scribbled something on the note and placed it by the door. He put on his backpack, locked the hotel room door, and began to explore his new criminal kingdom.

The rooms on the third floor were all empty, and what he did find wasn't very interesting, a dead rat in a storage closet, a broken lock on room 14. He'd had fun pretending to have broken in with his knife and threatening those inside with being butchered, otherwise it was completely boring. The smell of the hall was like the potpourri his mom used in the bathroom, to cover up the worst of smells. He'd spotted the fat maid on the second floor, changing out sheets. He avoided her completely sneaking by her and back up to the third floor. On the landing he spied the fourth floor, a long chain hung on makeshift door to that level.

He approached the door carefully, peeking through the small keyhole. Inside he could see a long corridor just like the one on the third level. There was almost no light, but he could spy out a lit candelabra near the end, with a pair of doors with yet another lock. He could almost make out something that looked like a mirror near the end of the hall. It looked like a small ball of flame with a -

"You aren't supposed to be here!"

The loud mumbled voice made Oskar turned around quickly. The figure of Orevor looming over him wasn't pleasant. He was wearing the same uniform as he'd worn the first day, except it now seemed more unkempt than before. The man was carrying a black plastic bag, long rubber gloves, and a thick plastic apron.

"I um-"

"Get back down stairs. Now!" Orevor bellowed, grabbing Oskar by his collar, nearly throwing him down the first flight of stairs. Oskar ambled away the man, running down the stairs until he'd hit the lobby, and continued out the doors hitting the bright light of day. He stopped only to take a breath when he had reached a block away.

...

 _"Is that mess cleaned up?"_

 _A nod..._

 _"Did I here yelling?"_

 _"The boy ...came up this morning...I chased him away"_

 _"Boys are curious Orevor...did she awaken?"_

 _"No..."_

 _"She's hard to deal with during the evening...let alone the day."_

 _"The body...?"_

 _"I'll finish it, you should check 17...make sure the girl is comfortable'."_

...

"Do another one!"

A small girl yelled out as Edgar approached the meeting place. He hated the Vesterlanggatan, too many damned Tourists, too many kids out of school on the weekend. A street magician was making cards disappear to the delight of small crowd of little girls. The magician obliged the girl, doing the same simple trick. As he walked by Edgar 'accidentally' bumped into the man knocking the extra cards in his jacket out. He smiled as some of the girls cried. "Jerk!" One of them called as Edgar flipped the small group the bird and made his way to some tables at a small street side cafe a few meters away. He looked at his gold watch... 1:00 pm ...he was on time.

He sat down, ordered wine and played the big shot for a few minutes before his meeting. He was dressed in the latest leather jacket from Armani, and he felt the luxurious red and black made him look like an odd cross between a motorcycle racer, and Al Capone. He hadn't shaved that morning and his thin face was marked by his long protruding nose. He was extremely proud of his tight Levi's, and his long well permed hair. It didn't make up for his looks, but the fact that he had money...that did plenty to sooth his ego. He sipped on the wine, watching the street performers and passersby. He'd had a good week, but was still 7000 Kronor short. It wasn't like he owed the others a lot of money, he always paid his debts...and they knew it.

"Comfortable?" two older men in plain clothes said as they came to join Edgar at his table.

"Of course. You're late." Edgar said not even looking up from his glass.

"Sure...but so are you."

Edgar looked up at them slightly nervous. The larger man didn't have a smile on his face.

"Hagar, it's only 7000 Kronor, you know I'm good for the money why the fuss?"

Hagar sat down, he was a man of at least 60, gray hair, graying beard, and he always wore the same brown jacket. The other man Edgar had seen at a couple of the gatherings. He was Hagar's man. How much money did one need to have to get a manservant who'd kill for you? Edgar asked himself, but shelved the thought for a better time.

"The guys are getting nervous about you. You're getting flashy, new car, new clothes every week, you might be my son in law but you can't walk around like king of the jungle Edgar. You're late in your payment this month."

"My boys near the library are a little slow; cops are trying to get to the kids. I lost a boy yesterday, how is that my fault?"

"I never liked you and your kids anyways. Damned disgusting if you ask me-", his uncle shifted in the chair, uncomfortably on the subject of Edgar's new endeavor

"People are willing to pay for taboo uncle, and they pay damned well for kids." Edgar continued, leaning in. He never understood his uncle hesitancy. There was a demand, and he filled it, wherein was he wrong. Supply and demand was all there was in the world.

"Maybe, but if you get found out no one will know you. I already wish I didn't." His uncle responded, opening a small case with cigarillo's. He pulled one free and looked for a light. One of his me approached lit it, and stepped back, a few paces, keeping an eye on the other patrons.

"Money is Money Uncle. I learned that in France, and it works here to. I could make twice what I do if you guys would get off of my back once and a while."

Hagar grimaced, just before ordering a beer for himself from the waitress. He waited until the woman was out of earshot and then spoke up.

"I don't care Edgar. Just get the money by Friday."

"What? Your joking-" Edgar asked incredulously.

"Do whatever you have to Edgar. But I can't protect you and I can't pay your debts, thats not the way it works. Get the money and stop acting like a fool." Hagar's face was stone, and his words harder.

Hagar was finished, his man servant tapped Edgar on the shoulder. That usually meant it was time to go. In moments Edgar was walking back to his car alone, mulling over how he was going to get 7000 Kronor in just two days.


End file.
